The NBA record for most consecutive losses could be broken this year. For the past several weeks, the Detroit Pistons and the San Antonio Spurs hadn’t secured a win in over a month. Mercifully, the Spurs earned a marquee victory over LeBron James and the Lakers on Friday night to put an end to their franchise-record 18-game losing streak. Meanwhile, the Pistons, who dropped a franchise-record 22nd straight game on Friday, are dangerously close to matching the record of 28 straight regular-season losses that the Philadelphia 76ers suffered between 2014-15 and 2015-16.
The 76ers also own the record for most consecutive losses in one season with 26 in 2013-14, matching only the 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers.
This season, the Pistons have the league’s worst record at 2-23 and are currently on the aforementioned 22-game losing streak. While they’ve amassed a talented group of lottery picks in recent years, they’ve struggled to smooth out their offensive struggles.
Longest losing streaks in NBA history
| Streak | Team | Streak Started | Streak Ended |
| 28 | Philadelphia 76ers^ | March 27, 2015 | Dec. 1, 2015 |
| 26 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Dec. 20, 2010 | Feb. 11, 2011 |
| 26 | Philadelphia 76ers | Jan. 31, 2014 | March 29, 2014 |
| 24 | Cleveland Cavaliers^ | March 19, 1982 | Nov. 10, 1982 |
| 23 | Vancouver Grizzlies | Feb. 16, 1996 | April 3, 1996 |
| 23 | Denver Nuggets | Dec. 9, 1997 | Jan. 24, 1998 |
| 23 | Charlotte Bobcats | March 19, 2012 | Nov. 2, 2012 |
| 21 | Detroit Pistons^ | March 7, 1980 | Oct. 25, 1980 |
| 21 | Detroit Pistons | Oct. 30, 2023 | |
| 20 | Philadelphia 76ers | Jan. 9, 1973 | Feb. 14, 1973 |
| 20 | New York Knicks^ | March 23, 1985 | Nov. 12, 1985 |
| 20 | Dallas Mavericks | Nov. 13, 1993 | Dec. 23, 1993 |
| 20 | Los Angeles Clippers^ | April 18, 1994 | Dec. 7, 1994 |
| 20 | Houston Rockets | Feb. 6, 2021 | March 22, 2021 |
| 19 | Philadelphia 76ers^ | March 21, 1972 | Nov. 11, 1972 |
| 19 | San Diego Clippers | March 11, 1982 | April 15, 1982 |
| 19 | Los Angeles Clippers | Dec. 30, 1988 | Feb. 8, 1989 |
| 19 | Dallas Mavericks | Feb. 6, 1993 | March 17, 1993 |
| 19 | Vancouver Grizzlies | Nov. 7, 1995 | Dec. 15, 1995 |
| 19 | Orlando Magic | Oct. 30, 2003 | Dec. 8, 2003 |
| 19 | New Jersey Nets^ | April 15, 2009 | Dec. 4, 2009 |
| 19 | Memphis Grizzlies | Jan. 31, 2018 | March 17, 2018 |
| 18 | Utah Jazz | Feb. 24, 1982 | April 2, 1982 |
| 18 | Boston Celtics | Jan. 7, 2007 | Feb. 14, 2007 |
| 18 | Minnesota Timberwolves^ | March 13, 2011 | Jan. 1, 2012 |
| 18 | Charlotte Bobcats | Nov. 26, 2012 | Dec. 31, 2012 |
| 18 | New York Knicks | Jan. 4, 2019 | Feb. 16, 2019 |
| 18 | San Antonio Spurs | Nov. 5, 2023 | Dec. 15, 2023 |
(^ Denotes streaks that spanned over two seasons)
When could the record be broken?
Detroit’s continuing schedule does not look forgiving. After getting manhandled once again by Joel Embiid and the 76ers on Friday, they will face the Milwaukee Bucks, Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics, who all have winning records. They will also face the Atlanta Hawks, Utah Jazz and Toronto Raptors to round out the calendar year.
Pistons’ upcoming schedule
- Saturday, Dec. 16 @ Bucks
- Monday, Dec. 18 @ Hawks
- Thursday, Dec. 21 vs. Jazz
- Saturday, Dec. 23 @ Nets
- Tuesday, Dec. 26 vs. Nets
- Thursday, Dec 28 @ Celtics
- Saturday, Dec. 30 vs. Raptors